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Tigers designated hitter Nicholas Castellanos gets doused with water by his teammates after hitting a solo walk-off home run during the 10th inning of the Tigers' 4-3 win in 10 innings on Sunday, July 21, 2019, at Comerica Park. Raj Mehta USA TODAY Sports

Tigers DH Miguel Cabrera laughs after Nicholas Castellanos was drenched with water after hitting a walk-off home run in the Tigers' 4-3 win in 10 innings on Sunday, July 21, 2019, at Comerica Park. Duane Burleson, Getty Images

Tigers designated hitter Nicholas Castellanos blows a bubble as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo walk off home run during the 10th inning of the Tigers' 4-3 win in 10 innings on Sunday, July 21, 2019, at Comerica Park. Raj Mehta USA TODAY Sports

Tigers third baseman Jeimer Candelario makes a throw to first base for an out during the 10th inning of the Tigers' 4-3 win in 10 innings on Sunday, July 21, 2019, at Comerica Park. Raj Mehta USA TODAY Sports

Tigers shortstop Niko Goodrum makes a throw to first base for an out during the seventh inning of the Tigers' 4-3 win in 10 innings on Sunday, July 21, 2019, at Comerica Park. Raj Mehta USA TODAY Sports

Blue Jays shortstop Freddy Galvis, right, beats the throw to Tigers catcher Bobby Wilson to score from first on a double by left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. during the first inning on Sunday, July 21, 2019, at Comerica Park. Carlos Osorio, AP

Fans, cancer patients and survivors were on hand for Pink out the Park as the Detroit Tigers played the Toronto Blue Jays, Friday, July 19, 2019 at Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press

Cancer survivor Katie Nihem throws out the first pitch before Pink out the Park night, as the Detroit Tigers played the Toronto Blue Jays, Friday, July 19, 2019 at Comerica Park. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press

Through 11 starts this season, Zimmermann had a 7.01 ERA. After a healthy spring, his injury issues resurfaced — the right-hander missed more than two months with a flexor pronator strain in his right arm, sustained in late April. This year was supposed to be a fresh start, but instead, it’s been more of the same for the expensive but often ineffective veteran.

Once, around this time last year, the Tigers were optimistic that Zimmermann could bring a prospect in return at the 2019 trade deadline. Certainly, the team would have been forced to eat some of Zimmermann’s remaining contract — he is signed through 2020 and due $25 million again next season — but with a bounce-back season, he could have been moved this month.

But the dozen of rival talent evaluators in attendance for his start on Friday were not there to see Zimmermann. Instead, they were eying Toronto Blue Jays righty Marcus Stroman. The Tigers' optimism regarding Zimmermann will, again, have to wait till next year.

This year, though, the team is just happy that Zimmermann is on the mound. He had the opportunity to lower that ERA, but allowed six earned runs, seven hits and four walks in 3 2/3 innings, sending it to 7.51 in 2019. Those struggles are viewed through a different prism in the Tigers clubhouse; the team, in short, is focusing on his return from injury.

“It’s frustrating for him not being able to have his normal stuff, which, as you get older, it just goes and that’s what every pitcher who eventually has an injury, you try to come back from it and you deal with not having the same stuff and trying to learn having to pitch through it and still get people out at this level,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “It’s never easy. And he’s gone through an awful lot this year, from actually thinking that his career might be over with, to bouncing back and getting back on the mound, so we’re kind of proud of him for that, just to get back on the mound.”

But just getting back on the mound is little solace for fans who continue to view the Zimmermann signing with angst: His five-year, $110 million contract is repeated with frustration more often than his season statistics.

In his latest outing, Zimmermann was shelled again. He didn’t get much help from his defense, which struggled especially in the fourth inning, but his performance Friday looked similar to recent starts, with hard-hit balls, plenty of walks and not many swing-and-misses.

Particularly detrimental to Zimmermann has been the disappearance of his slider, which could — mentally or physically — be tied to the elbow injury which threatened to end his career in late April.

“It’s all about being able to extend fully, and sometimes he shortens his arm up and that’s probably protecting whatever might be there a little bit,” Gardenhire said. “You gotta be able to extend and finish off your pitches and right now, the curveball is a little easier for him. That’s one of his go-to pitches and he’ll tell you, he didn’t have it (on Sunday), and that’s why he ended up getting killed.

“And it was very frustrating for him.”

It was the same reason he was "getting killed" on Friday night. Physically, the pitches just aren’t performing anymore. Mentally, he knows this, and has nibbled around the strike zone, fearful of hard contact.

Zimmermann left the game in line for the loss, likely to make the the Tigers record book as the first Tiger to begin a season 0-7 since Mike Maroth in 2003.

His teammates would love to break that skid, not only for Zimmermann but also themselves.

Instead, they watched Friday as he slowly walked off the mound into the Tigers dugout. There, his teammates said nothing to Zimmermann — they’ve been around long enough to know what he’s dealing with — patting him on the back with the hope that things will get better.